Fatherhood
by nannygirl
Summary: It's late one night and Eric comes to his parents' house with his crying baby and several worries. What will Red have to say about all of this?


_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing!_

_**Author's Note: **__Hello Everyone! How are you all? Sorry for the late post with this one. I know it was supposed to come out last month but with school starting things got pretty busy and I really kept putting this one off even though the whole idea's been in my mind for ages! This one-shot was in fourth place for what fic I should write next and I really hope you guys like it. It's the first future fic…as opposed to the ones I've written for the other pairs of characters that you all voted for as well. And it is a happy Red and Eric fic. I looked to see what kind of other Red and Eric fics were on here and they're pretty depressing, very good but really depressing. I thought they should get a father-son bonding kinda fic so here it is! Enjoy!_

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**Fatherhood**

Red Forman tossed and turned in the queen size bed. He hated nights like these. One would have thought that after all these years he had gotten use to it; and in ways he had but it still didn't mean he liked having the right side of the bed empty. He hated these nights when Kitty had the late shift at the hospital.

After several more turns and a few more tosses, he was finally drifting off to sleep. That is until he heard a loud unusual noise coming from down stairs.

It sound like something had hit something or like something had fallen, whatever had made that noise it was also accompanied by cry-like sounds. Red had heard the crying sound seconds before but had simply passed it off as the Anderson's damn cat—now he wasn't so sure.

With a frown on his face, Red climbed out of the bed and put on his blue robe before marching out of the bedroom.

There was nothing in the hallway and when he climbed down the living room stairs he noticed nothing in that room either. Except for the fact that the crying had gotten louder and it was now definite that the crying was not from any cat in the neighborhood.

Once Red had figured out which room the noise had come from, he walked over to the kitchen and pushed the swinging door open. When he walked into the room the lights were still off and all he could see was a skinny figure standing between the fridge and basement door. He knew right away who the figure was.

"Eric?" he asked with a frown and then switched on the kitchen light.

The room illuminated with light from the cheese grater figures on the ceiling and revealed to Red that his guess had been correct.

Eric Forman smiled a weak smile at his father, while carrying a small blue buddle in his arms—a crying blue bundle. Kitty's vacuum was on the floor sticking out from the entrance of the basement—that must have been the bang he'd heard.

"Hey Dad." He greeted over his son's crying, trying to keep his voice from going high as he waved at his father with his free hand and tried to look innocent, "What's up Dad?"

"It's three in the morning." Red stated instead of answering Eric's question.

"Oh." Was all Eric said before he became quiet for a few seconds and then smiled, "Guess I should say 'Good Morning' then."

Red stared back at his son, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Uh nothing…nothing we were just um out for a walk and I was…well really…" Eric struggled for a straight answer before nearly breaking down in tears, "Luke won't stop crying!"

The elder Forma stared at the sight of the two younger generations crying out loud; one louder and having more tears than the other. Luckily that one of them being Luke and not Eric.

With heavy sigh and an angry scowl on his forehead, Red out stretched his arms in the direction of his son.

"Here give me the kid." He grumbled.

Eric followed his father's order and ever so carefully handed the fussy baby over to him. As soon as his grandson was in his arms Red held the tiny form closer to his chest, rocking back and forth just slightly as a attempt to quiet the crying. His own son stood off to the side looking on exhausted and very close to bursting out into tears again; it made Red's frown deepen.

"And quit with that crying." He barked out, "One baby's enough to take care of."

Nodding like a small child, Eric used the back of his hands to wipe his eyes. He sniffled a few sniffles and then straightened himself up before turning his attention to his father and son. He was just about to tell his father he could hold Luke now but Red spoke before he could.

"What were you planning on doing with your mother's vacuum?" he questioned over Luke's sobs, "Suck the cries out of him?"

Eric shook his head, "No…actually I read in a magazine that the sound of a vacuum cleaner running is pretty soothing to a baby. It's supposed to help them fall asleep."

That had to be the dumbest idea Red had ever heard of and the look on his face showed just what he was thinking.

"What magazine was that? _Babies for Dumbasses Magazine_?"

"No. It was _Mothering Magazine_." Eric replied in a matter of fact tone.

The slight smirk that had appeared on Red's face just seconds after his 'Dumbass Magazine' comment quickly faded away and was replaced with well known frown when he heard the title of the magazine his son had in fact been reading.

"_Mothering Magazine_?" Red repeated, wanting to make sure he'd heard right, "What the hell are you doing reading _Mothering Magazine_?"

Eric shrugged before giving an answer he thought was obvious, "Learning how to make our home a more nurturing, warm, safe place for Luke."

"Yeah? Well keep reading that women's magazine and your ass will be a more nurturing, warm, safe place for my foot." Red threatened as the bundle in his arms continued to cry.

"Duly noted." Eric replied dryly until he saw the glare that his dad was sending him, he then timidly cleared his throat, "Sir."

Red rolled his eyes and continued to gently bounce his grandson in effort to stop his wailing. It wasn't working. And Red could already feel a headache starting to form. Yet he still hadn't handed the baby back to Eric, he knew it would probably do more harm than good.

"What are you doing up with the kid anways?" he questioned "Where's your wife?"

"Well Dad if you must know, Donna's next door fast asleep." Eric explained and right away saw his father's mouth begin to open but Eric quickly jumped in before Red could get a word in. "And it was not her idea for me to get up and take care of Luke, it was mine."

The older man raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yes, really. Dad, I want to help take care of my son at any chance I get. I want to be there for him whenever he needs me." Eric informed as he spoke from his heart, "Donna and I have an equal relationship with each other and we plan to use the same equality method with taking care of Luke. Neither one of us will ever 'overparent' the other."

Red simply stared at his son, not believing a word he'd heard, "She kicked you out of bed, didn't she?"

"Yeah!" Eric replied in his high squeaky voice, "Literally too!"

With a shake of his head Red couldn't help put chuckle at the mental picture of his son being kicked off a bed and onto a hard carpeted floor.

"I even followed your advice on pretending to be asleep. As soon as I heard Luke crying I woke up but kept my eyes closed and my snoring loud." He explained while waving his hands up in the air, perhaps thinking it would make his story sound better, "Then the next thing I know I feel Donna's Wile E. Coyote feet against my back and I fall onto floor practically face first!"

"That's what you get for marrying a feminist, son." Was all Red said as he continued to laugh and shake his head.

Eric gave a fake smile and put his over his heart, "Aw that's so sweet, Dad."

The amused expression on Red's face quickly faded away at statement made by his son. However, he didn't have the energy this late in the night or early in the morning to make his own remark so he continued to try to calm the screaming infant he held.

To say Eric was surprised when his father didn't reply to his sarcastic words was an understatement. Eric was expecting at least a comment about him being a dumbass to be sent his way…heck he was waiting for the sentence! But it never came.

The only sound in the room continued to be Luke's wailing that seemed to be get louder and high every time Eric's ears and head began to adjust to the volume.

"He's been crying like this for a long time. And I mean a really, really long time." Eric shared with his father in a calm and informative manner and then a second later he changed his behavior to the much more nervous one. "And sometimes it gets really high like…Waaaahhh!"

Eric's imitation of Luke's crying only made Red roll his eyes and Luke cry out even louder. Quickly Eric stopped his 'crying.'

"Sometimes it gets a little raspy too like…" before Eric could do a second imitation Luke released a cry that sounded normal to anybody else but Eric. Getting panicky and twitchy, Eric pointed his index finger at his son, "Like that!"

"Do you hear it? It sounds raspy right? Like he's got a sore throat…what if he's got a sore throat? What if he got the sore throat from all the crying? What if he's sick? Where's Mom? I should take him to Mom right? She's a nurse…"

"You're mother's not here Eric." Red finally managed to get a word in, "She's got the late shift at the hospital."

The nervous and slightly frightened look in Eric's wide eyes remained in place as he quickly nodded his head up and down, "Ok, ok. It's ok…it's good. We'll take Luke to Mom and if she thinks he's sick then we'll already be at the hospital! But if he's fine…I just took my healthy infant son to the hospital where there's germs and sick people! Who does that?"

Red released a heavy sigh, "Eric, just take it easy. We don't need your mother. Luke's not sick, he's just crying. He's a baby. Besides pooping and eating it's the only thing he does. Now what've you done to try to get him to quiet down?"

"Everything!" Eric replied throwing his hands up in the air.

"Care to elaborate." Red stated rather than suggested as he shift his grandson over his shoulder.

Taking a deep breath Eric began to recall the past few hours back at his house, "Ok well I rocked him in the rocking chair. I gave him his teddy bear. I fed him…he actually ate for like two or three minutes but then started crying again. I changed his diaper and he didn't even need to be changed. I sang to him…but it was almost like it made him cry more. I read him a story. I've tried everything!"

Not a second after Eric' out burst a small but strong burp was heard.

A smug smirk appeared on Red's face when he heard the noise, "Guess not everything."

Eric's face fell to the floor—resembling the same look his friends had seen from him when he found out the truth about Luke and Leia—and he dropped onto one of the green kitchen chairs. He could bring himself to look at his father or his son and so he kept his gaze fixed on the wallpaper covered wall infront of him.

"I am a terrible father." He said out loud in flat tone of voice.

Red sighed once again keeping Luke on his shoulder, "Eric..."

"Dad, I spent three hours doing everything except the thing he needed to stop crying. Then you grab him, hold him for not five minutes and you know exactly what to do to get him to stop!" Eric interrupted his father with his worries, "What if it's like this when he gets older? Dad, what if I give him everything he's allergic to thinking that's what he wants?"

"Eric, you're not a terrible father…your just a new father."

"Yeah, a new father." Eric said solemnly with a sigh, "And you know what the worst part is?"

The kitchen suddenly became quiet. Eric frowned at his hands, waiting for his father to say something but nothing ever came. He turned himself around to see Red standing in the same spot infront of the stove with Luke now in the cradling position.

"Dad," he called out, "aren't you gonna asking 'what?'"

Red looked up from the tiny bundle in his arms, "Huh?" he asked his son sounding confused for a few seconds before replaying the question, "Oh…oh right. What's the worst part?"

Eric had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the less than enthusiastic tone his father used to ask the question. He didn't want Red getting upset with him and he really did need someone to talk to. And the most important reason for his eyes staying in place was Red had taken a seat in the kitchen chair infront of him.

A sigh was released from Eric before he explained, "It was only last week that I realized…I'm a dad."

"Last week?" Red repeated, thinking he'd heard wrong, "Eric…the kid's three months old!"

"I know!" Eric exclaimed, "It's like I completely missed the first three months of Luke's life! I'm a _horrible_ father!"

"Eric…"

"And as soon as I realized that a bunch of questions just started flooding my mind!" Eric continued to ramble on, his voice getting high and his action getting twitchier, "Like…Am I gonna be able to provide for him? And Luke's a little baby he can't make decisions, that means I have to make the decisions for him. What if the choice I make for him end up hurting him? What if I break him?"

Red had to suppress a chuckle at that last one, "Son, you are not going to break your son. Look…"

Carefully and very gently Red shifted Baby Luke from his own arms and into Eric's. Both men held their breaths as the baby was moved, praying that he wouldn't wake from his slumber and start crying again. But once Luke was in Eric's arms and stirred closer to his fathers' chest, all the while keeping his eyes shut, they knew the coast was clear. Eric gave a tiny relieve smile as he looked down at his son and made sure he was holding him in the way he'd been shown at the hospital.

"See he's still in one piece. You didn't break him." Red stated as he gestured to the sleeping baby, "Now…"

"Dad, I'm not just afraid I'll break him." Eric shared before Red could tell him to go back home, "I wanna be a good dad…but I'm not sure I'll be able to."

"I mean I know things that I know I should and want do to help me be a good dad. I wanna be there for Luke the way you've been for… well for all of us." Eric revealed and then saw the corners of his father's mouth twitch ever so slightly, "But then again I don't wanna threaten him with a foot in the…you know what. No offense, Dad." He quickly added his last sentence.

"No offense taken, son." Came Red's reply as his raised his right hand just a few inches, "And you don't have to worry about you threatening to put your foot up your kid's ass. I know you won't. Because one, that my line, you'll have to come up with something else. And two, you can't even say it in conversation how are you gonna threaten it to your child?"

Eric's brows knitted together, "Uh…thanks Dad…I think."

"Now on to the whole 'Good Dad' thing." Red began to say and then cleared his throat as he looked his son straight in the eyes, "There is no '_World's Greatest Dad_.' Not even that Ward Cleaver guy…I mean what kind of dumbass names their kid 'Beaver?'"

"The closest thing to that kind of dad is being '_World's Greatest Dad'_ in your kids' eyes, and that's what important." Red went on to say, "And the key to becoming that dad is to do your best. Not for yourself, but for your family. For your wife and especially for your kids. You do that and I guarantee you'll have one of those 'World's Greatest Dad' mugs in no time."

A small laugh escaped Eric's lips as he moved his eyes from his father and then his son and then back to Red, "You don't still have the one Laurie and me gave you that father's day when…"

"When you were eight and she was ten." Red finished from him and Eric merely nodded, "The next time you're here and getting a cup of coffee, take a better look in that cupboard."

Eric smiled as he got the answer Red had hidden in his words.

"Listen son, there are different types of dads. And everyone one of them has their own different way that they think is the best way to raise kids. Some of them are good ways. But most of them are dumbass ways." Red paused for just a few seconds, "And I can tell that you're no where near those dumbass ways."

At first Eric couldn't believe what he'd heard and there was a confused frown on his face until it faded away slightly as he thought that maybe his father was being sincere. Still he'd didn't want to look like a fool and show his hopefulness so he looked back down at the baby in his arms.

"You're just saying that because you're my dad." Eric stated.

Red nodded, "That's part of the reason. The other part is because of what I've seen here tonight. You've been going on about all of your worries about you not being a good father, well all that shows just how much you want to be a good father. Which is the first key to being a good father."

Eric looked up from his son with a small grin on his face and looked back over at Red.

"The other part is it's three in the morning and I want to get back to sleep." Red added gruffly.

Red's last statement earned a quick laugh from Eric. He knew that was just who his father was; he could give some good advice and even compliment you on something but he'd never end a conversation without saying something that would give him back his tough exterior.

A few seconds later the glass door slid open and a tired looking Kitty Forman walked in wearing her nurses uniform. She was ready to head off to bed and nearly walked right past her family. However she did see the sight and was more than surprised by it.

"What are you two doing up so late?" she asked and the noticed the sleeping bundle in Eric's arms—despite somewhat loud the conversation of the two the Forman's the youngest Forman managed to sleep through it all.

Kitty bent down closer to her grandson, "Oh! And there's Grandma's Little Baby."

"Shh Kitty." Red hissed despite the fact that his wife had actually been speaking softly to the bay, "We just got him to fall asleep."

"Oh, I guess I do know what you're both doing up so late." Kitty said with a nod and a quick Kitty laugh.

Eric's grin grew and he slowly stood up from chair, "Yeah. And I think I better get back home and get Luke in his crib before he wakes up again."

"Ok. Alright." His mother agree, "Oh but can't I give Luke a quick little good night kiss?"

With his smile still in place Eric's bent down just slightly so Luke could be in perfect reach for his grandmother. Kitty placed a soft loving kiss on the baby's smooth forehead and then placed one on the top of Eric's head—causing Eric's smile to grow even more.

"Eric, honey, it's so late already and you've got work tomorrow, you'll need a good breakfast to get ready for your day." Kitty started to say, "And I'm sure Donna's just as tired from taking care of the baby. You two are more than welcomed to come over here for breakfast tomorrow. Right, Red?"

Red remained silent.

"Red…" Kitty repeated shoving her husband just slightly.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure. Come on over." Red said not sounding quite believable.

Eric's smiled at his father and nodded, "Thanks, Dad." He replied sincerely before walking out of his childhood home.

And as Eric walked back to his house with his son in his arms he heard a few more words of wisdom from Red Forman.

"I want my pancakes before him."

And all he could do was smile and shake his head while he continued to cross the driveway.

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**The End**

_**Author's Note: **__So what'd you think? Like it? Hate it? In the middle? Yay? Nay? Please lemme know in a review! I'd love to hear from you!_

_Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, see you next time, take care, and have a nice day!_


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